abstract: Growing popularity of alternatively certifying teachers has created challenges for teacher preparation programs. Many non-traditional routes into classroom include no full-time mentor teacher. Absence of a mentor teacher in the classroom leaves teachers with a deficit. This study follows ten teachers on the intern certificate enrolled in both an alternative certification teacher preparation program and the Teach for America organization as they pursue a master's degree in education and state teaching certification from a large southwestern university. The five randomly chosen for the treatment group and the control group contained 1 male and 4 female teachers, some of whom teach at public schools and others at charter schools. All were secondary education language arts teachers ranging in age from 22- 29. The treatment used in this study is a job-embedded, professional development, software tool designed to help teachers track their classroom practices called MyiLOGS. The purpose of this action research project was to study the effect using MyiLOGS had on six of the nine areas evaluated by a modified version of the Teacher Advancement Program evaluation rubric, alignment with Opportunity To Learn constructs, and the tool's influence on the efficacy of these first year teachers. The data generated from this study indicate that the MyiLOGS tool did have a positive effect on the teachers' TAP evaluation performances. Also, the MyiLOGS tool had a large impact on the teachers' instruction as measured by the constructs of Opportunity to Learn and their teaching self-efficacy. Implications suggested the tool was an asset to these teachers because they tracked their data, became more reflective, and self-sufficient. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2013

I denna uppgift kommer jag presentera resultatet av min självstudie där jag lär mig tekniken vandrande bas på elbas genom lärarledda elbaslektioner. Denna process är videoinspelad, semistrukturerad intervju har hållits och dokumentationen analyseras genom transkription. Jag kommer bearbeta begreppet kunskap och redovisa några teorier om vad kunskap är och hur man kan kategorisera detta begrepp genom antingen uppdelande av praktisk och teoretisk kunskap. Jag kommer också undersöka huruvida pragmatismens kunskapssyn är applicerbar på denna studie. Studien behandlar hur jag använt mig av mina kunskaper som klassisk gitarrist i min inlärning av elbas. Hur jag kan använda mina kunskaper funna i elbasspelet i mitt klassiska gitarrspel. Även hur de pedagogiska upptäckterna jag gör i elbasspel kan användas i min framtida roll både som elbaslärare och gitarrlärare. Detta behandlas med ett sociokulturellt perspektiv i grunden samt mästarlära. Resultatet visar att förkunskaper i klassisk gitarr är mycket användbart om man vill lära sig elbas och att flera aspekter av gitarrspelet är direkt eller indirekt överförbara till elbasen. Det kommer också visa sig att det finns flera olikheter som kan försvåra inlärandet av elbas. Jag har också hittat grundläggande kunskap i metodik för elbasspel på nybörjarstadium. / In this project, I will present the result of my self-study where I learn the technique of walking bass on electric bass through teacher-led electric bass lessons. This process is video-recorded, semi-structured interview has been held and the documentation is analyzed by transcription. I will process the concept of knowledge and report some theories on what knowledge is and how to categorize this concept through either the division of practical or theoretical knowledge. I will also examine whether the knowledge view of pragmatism is applicable to this study. The study deals with how I used my knowledge as a classical guitarist in my learning of electric bass. How I can use my knowledge found in the electric bass game in my classic guitar play. Even how the pedagogical discoveries I make in electric bass games can be used in my future role both as electric bass teacher and guitar teacher. This is dealt with a socio-cultural perspective in the basics and master-apprentice perspective. The result shows that prior knowledge of classical guitar is very useful if you want to learn electric bass and that several aspects of the guitar play are directly or indirectly transferable to the electric base. It will also show several differences between the instruments that can make learning electric bass more difficult. I have also found basic knowledge in methodology for electric bass games at the beginner stage.

Syftet med denna studie är att utforska mitt egna lärande i processen med att appropriera den ornamentik som är en central del i den irländska folkmusikkulturen. Syftet stärks med följande forskningsfrågor: Med vilka redskap tillägnar jag som lärling mig ornament från den irländska folkmusiktraditionen? samt I vilken utsträckning har jag approprierat irländsk ornamentik efter en period på tio veckor? Arbetet är baserat på ett sociokulturellt perspektiv med stark betoning på mästarläran. Detta ingår i bakgrundskapitlet tillsammans med relevant litteratur med inslag av tidigare forskning på området. Exempel på vad som tas upp är förklaringar om specifika ornament samt en översiktlig beskrivning av den irländska folkmusiktraditionen. Studien baseras på videoobservation av mig själv samt genom egna loggboksanteckningar. Resultatet presenteras med hjälp av olika rubriker; exempelvis olika redskap under enskilda fiollektioner, tillägnande av yrkesidentitet samt jag och min mästare. Avslutningsvis diskuteras resultatet i förhållande till litteraturen samt tidigare forskning där bland annat min etniska tillhörighet och outtalade regler vid sessions nämns. Här diskuteras även variation och improvisation samt vilka redskap som tillfört mest till min lärandeprocess. / The purpose of this thesis is to explore my own learning in the process of appropriating the kind of ornamentation that is a central part of the Irish trad music culture. The purpose is supported with these following reserch questions: Which tools do I use as an apprentice to appropriate the ornaments from the Irish traditional music culture? and To what degree have I appropriated the Irish ornamentation after a period of ten weeks? The thesis is based on a sociocultural perspective with a strong emphasism on master – apprentice teaching. This is included in the background chapter together with relevant litterature and earlier studies on this area. Explanations about specific ornaments and a brief description about the Irish trad culture are examples of what is brought up in the background chapter. The thesis is based on video observations of myself and by a written journal. The result is presented with several themes, for example different tools during individual fiddle lessons, adopting of professional identity and me and my master. In the conclution the results are discussed compared to the litterature and earlier research where my ethnical background and unspoken rules during sessions are mentioned. The discussion also include variation and improvisation together with which tools that have contributed the most to my process of learning.